Time and again, actors, particularly women, have raised their voices about how they’ve been at the receiving end of relentless body shaming. The beauty standards in the Hindi film industry are so high and set in the stone that many often succumb to them, eventually agreeing to go under the knife. During the release of her debut film Malaal in 2019, Sharmin Segal Mehta too revealed how she was bullied and fat-shamed as a child for 14 years, which went on to leave an indelible impression on her.
Incidentally, she recently became the subject of incessant trolling and criticism for her portrayal of Alamzeb in Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar. While some mocked her acting skills, others left no stone unturned in attacking her for the way she looks claiming she wasn’t the perfect fit for Alamzeb.
In an exclusive chat with News18 Showsha, Sharmin says that she shares a more compassionate and empathetic relationship with her body now. “I love my body but there are days when I’m not happy with the way I look. I feel bloated sometimes. If I eat French fries for dinner, I feel bloated the very next day. Coming to terms with how you look is a slow process because your body keeps changing,” she tells us.
So, what has helped her reach this stage where she’s comfortable with the way she looks? “Your mind-set has to keep evolving along with it. Today, I’m a lot more comfortable within that change in my mind-set. I know that my body will keep changing. At the end of the day, we’re all women. We go through periods and pregnancy and those things have a physical impact on our bodies,” she states.
While she has managed to wrap her head around this ‘mentally’, Sharmin confides there are days when she wishes she had the looks of a supermodel. “Coming to terms with those changes that are out of our control and still be comfortable with yourself and work towards being the best version of yourself that makes you happy is tough. Sometimes you may work out every day but that might not show on your body. But you need to be okay with putting in that effort knowing that it may not show. And yes, sometimes I wish I looked like Bella Hadid,” she laughs.
Talking about how actors also face the additional burden of the audience judging them for their looks, she remarks, “When you’re accepting of who you’re as a person and how you look, that comes out through the authenticity of your craft. The audience judging you for how you look has an impact on your work. It’s sad that it comes in the way of your craft but that’s changing now for the better.”
In fact, Sharmin is happy with the changing portrayal of women onscreen and she lauds the inclusive nature of the film industry for embracing women actors of all shapes and sizes. “Things are very different today. The standards of beauty have really changed. Thank god for that! We can now be ourselves,” she says.
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